Pick-up table for mail-matter.



J. T. LYNCH.

PICK-UP TABLE FOR MAIL MATTER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.19, 1910.

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PIGK-UP TABLE FOR MAIL MATTER.

' APPLICATION FILED AUG.19,1910.

1 5035,71 4. Patented Aug. 13,1912.

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UNITED sirntg s PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN T. LYNCH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE B. F. CUMMINS COMPANY,

A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

PICK-UP TABLE FOB IMIAllIL-CMA!I.".lE13,.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 13, 1912.

Application filed August 19, I910. Serial No. 577,942;

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, JOHN T. LYNCH, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Chlcago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pick-Up Tables for Mail-Matter,,of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompart of this specification, in which-corregponing er t gures morale of reference in the di en My invention has referen'ce'to pick-uptables for post oflice.. use to enable mail matter to, be faced and bunched or stacked ready; for delivery to a cancehng machine.

In dropping the nlail pieces upon the usual horizontal conveying-belt of a pickup-table, which belt is actuated at a h1gh a considerable degree of care s required in order that the forward end of the mail-piece may first be brought into contact with the belt surface or that the entire edge of the mail-piece may contact therewith.

- Should the rear end first touch the belt the cause'the mail-piece to come rapidv movement of the latter is liable to be so tilted as to resalt in injury thereto by crumpling it in the pocket or chute. i

My invent-ion has for its ob ect to over,- this and other difliculties and it consists in the combination of elements hereinafter more particularly described and definitely pointed out in the claims.

. In the drawings, Figure 1, is a plan view of a portion of a pickup-table showing conveying, separating and stack ng mechan sm connected therewith, Fig.2, is a plan View of a continuation of said table showin ad- 0? the Fig. 3, is an enlarged edge view of a portion of the table partially broken away andsectioned to show one of the pockets and the manner in which a mailpiece is delivered thereto and Fig. 4, 1s a sectional view taken upon the line l, Fig. 2,

viewed in the shown.

Referring to the drawings, 1 representsa portion-of an ordinary pick-up-tab le upon direction of the arrow there which the mail is deposited indiscriminately in bulk for the purpose of facing, whereupon the mail pieces are delivered to a conveying mechanlsm arranged along the front erably of of the table to convey them either to a stacking mechanism for ultimate delivery to a canceling machine or directly to the latter. Rigidly attached to the frontedge of the table is a support 2, Fi 4, consisting prefa metal p ate which extends throughout the length of said table and depends below the bottom thereof as shown in said figure.

Connected with said plate by means of suitable bolts or studs 3, is an outer wall or plate 4, the top of which is extended above the level of the top of the table 1, for'the purpose hereinafter stated. J ournalcd upon the studs 3 are rollers or drums 5 which are adapted to lend intermediate support to the usual endless belt'fi, which is mounted in a well known wayupon end rollers 7 and 8 respectively, the former being indicated in dotted lines in Fig. l, and the latter in Figs.-

2 and ltigidly attached to the edge of the table above the upper edge of the plate 2, as shown at 9 in Fig. 4, is a fitting generally designated by 10 which is preferably formed from sheet metal, so constructed as to provide for a series of pockets 12, extend-. ing downwardly to the belt 6, which constitutes t-he bottom thereof. The upper por-' tion of each pocket-1s rounded toward the table as indicated at 13, to enable mail pieces which are lying face upwardly u on the tableto be rapidly pushed therein without lifting them from the table.

The pockets 12 are intended for the recep- ,tion of the small mail pieces and each is in communication with a straight channel l l, common to all of said pockets. v

The wall leading forwardly from each pocket is curved laterally as shown at 15, to

serve a deflector or shunt for deflecting the mail-pieces which are conveyed by the belt 6 into the channel l l. Atthe rear of each pocket is a forwardly and downwardly inclined ledge or shield 16, which is preferably extended from at or about the upper level of the pocket to the bottom immediately above the belt surface and far enoughforwardso that the rear end of any mailpiece deposited in the pocket would fall upon said part in the manner indicated in dotted lines in Fig, 3, while the forward end would contact with the conveyer belt, thereby causing the mailpiece to be drawn forward by the belt until the entire edge is caused to rest thereon. This device prevents the rear portion of the mail-piece from being first caught by the belt and thrown upwardly into contact with an obstruction, which might cause it to be crumpled and injured or destroyed. The inclined part 16 attached to a wall 17, better shown in Figs. 2 and 4, which extends from a point somewhat back of the pocket to one near the forward end thereof and serves to separate the pocket from the channel 1 5 Between the walls at and 17 is a continu one wall 18, preferably formed from sheetmetal, portions 19 of which are located opposite to the pockets 12 and are curved laterally as shown, so as to extend over portions of the racewayld onto the top of the wall 17. At the rear end of each of said raised and curved portions is a lug 20 which is rigidly attached by means of a bolt 21 to a projection or part 22 extending upwardly from and attached to the horizontal portion. or offset forming a housing at the rear of each pocket. The space between the walls at and 18 serves as a continuous chan nel 23 for the large mail-pieces. The parts 19 are rounded in the manner more clearly shown in Fig. 4, to permit the delivery of the mail-pieces to said channel 23, as well as to prevent the large mail-pieces from be: ing dropped into the channel 14, while a portion 24 of the wall t opposite to each of' the other-parts 19, is raised as shown to prevent mail-pieces from being thrown over the top of said wall in an attempt to deliver t iem to the channel 23.

It will be seen by reference to Figi that the rounding of..the wall of the pocket as shown at 18, the raising of the partition 17 above the surface of the table and the similar rounding of the part 19 over the chute as well as the elevation of the parts 2a to a still greater height, results in providing a wide throat for each of the pockets 12 as well as for the chute or channel 23. This construction enables the small and large mail pieces to be delivered with great rapidity and certainty into their respective channels while the feature of having the small pockets at a lower level than that of the upper edge of the walls 17 of the main runwayinto which said pockets lead, is of very great importance in handling the small -mail, inasmuch as all, of the pieces which face upwardly may, as stated, be pushed or slid therein without lifting them at all, said walls serving as stops and deflectors to insure proper delivery. The pockets and channels are necessarily narrow in order to maintain the mail pieces in sutliciently upright positions to avoid clogging, and hence the advantage of the rounded portion 13 which enables the mail pieces, when pushed horizontally against the walls 17, to fall rapidly and with certainty into the pockets. Because of the presence of the raised partitions 17, the feeding motion of the operators may be very rapid without interfering with the certainty of the results, Actual practice has demonstrated that this feature alone, by eliminating the necessity for pick ing up each mail piece, as would be necessary were the upper edges of the channels of a chute or runway, a plurality of adjacent pocltets 1n commumcation therewith for the reception of articles to be carried, continuously movable meanslocated beneath said chute and pockets for conveying said articles and means for preventing the rear ends of articles when deposited in said p0ck ets from falling into direct contact with said conveying means. v

2. The combination with a pickup-table, of a chute or runway, a plurality of adjacent pockets having their forward ends in communication therewith for the reception of articles to be carried, continuously movable means located beneath said chute and pockets for conveying 'saidarticles and forwardly and downwardly inclined stationary means located in the rear of said pockets respectively above said conveying means, to preventcontact between the rear portion of an article when dropped into a pocket and said conveying means.

3. The combination with a piek-up-table of a chute or runway, a plurality of pockets arranged adjacent thereto, each pocket having a lateral opening at its forward end leading to said runway with a laterally curved wall opposite to said opening to deflect articles from said pockets into said runway,. an endless belt conveyer located beneath said pockets and runway respectively, and a bottom or floor element in the rear portion of each of said pockets to serve as a temporary support for the rear end of an article deposited therein to cause the for- -ward end to contact with said belt.

The combination with a pick-up-table of a chute or runway adjacent to its edge, a series of pockets adjacent to said runway, a conveyer extending beneath said pockets and runway to form a continuous bottom for said runway as well as one for the forward portion of each of said pockets, and a forwardly inclined shield located in the rear of each of said pockets with its forward end immediately above said conveyer, whereby,

when a mail-piece is deposited in said pocket for the reception of mail-pieces to be carried, continuously movable means located beneath said chute and pockets for conveying said mail pieces, the wall between sa1d runway and said pockets being extended above the level of said table to form a stop whereby proper delivery of the mail pieces into said pockets when pushed toward them upon the table may be insured.

6. The combination with a pick-up-table of a chute or runway, a plurality of adjacent pockets in communication therewith for the reception of mail-pieces to be carried, continuously movable means located beneath said chute and pockets for conveying said mail-pieces, the wall between said runway and pockets being extended above the level of said table and the upper portion of the walls of said pockets being inclined to permit the mail-pieces to be readily delivered therein.

1 7. The combination with a pick-up-ta'ble, of parallel chutes for small and large mailpieces respectively, the former being interposed between the latter and the edge of the table, a plurality of pockets adjacent to said first named chute and upon the side thereof next to said table, said pockets being in communication with said chute, continuously movable means located beneath said chutes and pockets for conveying mailieces, the walls between said pockets and rst named chute being extended above the level of the table and said first named chute being covered opposite to said pockets, whereb small mall-pieces may be pushed into sa1d pockets whlle large'ones may be prevented from entering said first named chute. 1

8. The combination of a pick-up-table, small and large chutes for small and large mail-pieces respectively, the former being located between the latter. and the edge of the table, a plurality of pockets between said first named chute and said table, said pockets'being in communication with said chute, which chute is covered opposite to said pockets, continuously movable carrying means located beneath said chutes for conveying mail pieces, the walls between said pockets and first named chute being extended above the level of the table, while the wall of said second chute is extended above the level of the walls of said first named chute.

In testimonywhereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscr1bing witnesses, this 16th day of- August, 1910.

JOHN T. LYNCH.

Witnesses:

D. H. FLETCHER, JENNIE L. FISKE. 

